We're not heroes
by CrimsonxEyes
Summary: Through the process of evolution a selected number of humans were given special powers at birth. Riku Eckhart is one of these select few. Constantly having to hide his powers in fear of being shamed upon by the judgmental society he has to struggle with his life at home and at school. Things change for him when he meets a certain boy with special powers just like him.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on!" a dark haired woman with an accent called out as she ran. There was panic in her voice as well as fright.

Behind her she was followed by a girl with orange hair that were put into pigtails. The girl behind her eventually caught up to the dark haired woman as the two ran down the street.

"We have to hurry Vanille!" the woman yelled out, continuing to pick up the pace.

The sound of running footsteps could be heard behind the two of them. They were being chased. And from the sound of it there was more than just one person.

"This way Fang!" the girl named Vanille called out as she dragged her friend into a alley.

"Shit it's dead end." Fang yelled out in anger.

That was their mistake. The running came to a stop and the two of them turned around. In front of them were large men in uniform, each armed with a claw of some sort on their hands. At the front of the men stood a man with a scarred face and an eye patch.

"Now now ladies I think you've run far enough." He teased out.

The two of them instantly felt a chill run down their spine. Never in their life have they experienced this type of fear.

"Wha-what do you want from us?!" Vanille questioned.

"We came to bring you back." He replied ever so smoothly.

"What do you mean 'bring us back'?" this time Fang questioned.

"I've already said enough. Now will we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. Which one would you prefer." He asked.

"How about neither!" Vanille yelled out.

The orange hair girl raised both her hands up and crossed them. Suddenly a bright light enveloped her and the ground started shaking and then large chunks of of the ground began floating up. She then pointed one of her hands towards the group of men and the rocks instantly flew towards them.

"They never learn now do they?" He said as he raised his left hand in front of him.

A large portal then materialized in front of the men and the rocks came flying into it. Instead of hitting them as Vanille intended the rocks were instead pulled into the portal instead.

"W-what?" She questioned in panic. "What happened to the rocks?"

"Get her." The man demanded.

Behind him two came up front and stretched out their hands that held the claw. The claw gave off a buzzing noise followed by the sound of electrical shocks then a large blue bolt of electricity came firing out of the claws. Vanille had no time to dodge the bolt of electricity and it struck her right in the chest, causing her to scream out in pain.

"Vanille!" Fang cried out as she ran over to help.

When the sparks disappeared Vanille's body fell crashing into the ground. Fang grabbed the orange haired girl and began shaking her.

"Vanille! Wake up Vanille! Please wake up!" She cried out again but no luck. "What did you do to her you sick fucks?" She screamed.

"Nothing really, just gave her a little shock. Wasn't strong enough to kill if that's what you're wondering." He answered back.

"I'll kill you for that!" She roared as he held her hands out. A spear made of light materialized in her hands and she launched forward. Quickly enough she managed to impale a man right in the heart, instantly killing him. The other tried to fire off the strange claw shaped device again but this time it missed and ended up hitting the brick wall, giving enough Fang enough time to shove her spear right into his throat and ending his life. When she finished off the two men she retreated back to Vanille's collapsed body and reached down to grab her fallen friend.

"You little bitch! How dare you!" He yelled out angrily. His took both his hands and swished them in front his chest in a criss cross motion. In his hands appeared two strange shaped gun like devices. "I always have to do all the work here." He said.

He took aim with one of the guns and fired it. Fang finished grabbing Vanille's body and quickly jumped to the left, avoiding the strange bullet. The man continued firing more shots at Fang and she managed to dodge every single one of them.

"Is that all you got?" She asked in a taunting manner.

"I would advise you to look at whats surrounding you." He said with a devilish smirk on his face.

Fang carefully looked around her and saw that the strange bullets surrounded her in a square, with one bullet at every corner.

"What is the meaning of this?" She questioned.

"This." He answered as a he snapped his fingers. When he did that the strange bullets began glowing in a bright white aura and little trails of sparks came flying out. Then an electrical current came from one of the bullet and flew straight ahead and connected with another, that one connect to the one ahead of it and finally it came back to the first bullet, resulting in an electric square barrier.

"You're planning to trap me in this?"

"Check again."

Suddenly directly below Fang's feet started glowing again and she could feel slight shocks on her feet. There was a loud buzzing sound and then all four of the bullets released a stream of electricity that went straight into Fang's body. The dark haired woman gave out a loud scream and fell down to the ground.

"Get them." The man harshly ordered. "Our leader will be needing them soon enough."

From behind him more men came and went over and picked up the pair of unconscious women and hauled them over their shoulders. The man with the eye patch raised his hand again and a portal appeared in front of him.

"Let's go, we already wasted enough time." He instructed as he went into the portal followed by the other men.

* * *

Riku was up in his room, reading 'Crime and Punishment' when his mother, Olivia yelled up at him, "Riku! You better have put those clothes away before I come up and check on it. I've reminded you three times today already."

Reluctantly, Riku set down his book and rolled his eyes. No one was around to see it but he felt like he was still being rebellious for his own sake.

"Okay, mom!" He called back to her.

He brought the book back up in front of his face and resumed his reading. Without taking his eyes away from the novel, he lifted his fingers and the pile of clothing began to float around the room.

Drawers opened seemingly on their own, sweaters folding themselves and were dropped into their prospective spots. Jeans were draped over levitating hangers and then placed into the closet on their own.

It was as if some invisible cleaning lady was sorting out the entire room, but in reality, it was because of Riku.

Riku Eckhart had telekinetic abilities, and although they came in handy in such situations as the present one, he had to hide them because according to the world, having a power made you an abomination of nature.

What the ignorant people of the world didn't know was that these 'powers' were a result of natural human evolution, and eventually, every human on earth would have them. But at the moment, the 'mutants' were a minority, which made them easily outcast and misunderstood by the modern society.

Riku's parents were especially judgmental of people with abilities, so Riku knew that they could never find out about his. He was usually pretty discrete about it but when he was on his own, he could hone his powers. He took advantage of every moment of solitude he was graced with.

Without even a knock, Alexis burst into the room. Riku dropped his book in shock and thankfully, the levitating clothing dropped to the ground as well before his mother seemed to notice it.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she surveyed the clothing that had fallen to the floor. "Really, Riku? How can you be such so disrespectful when I just made a point of cleaning that clothing for you? I really can't believe you."

Riku began to protest before his mother slammed the door.

"Be down for dinner in five minutes. And if you haven't cleaned up that mess, don't even bother coming at all." She threatened as she walked down the stairs toward the kitchen.

Riku let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't even imagine how awful it could have been if his mom had seen him using his powers. He made a note to be more aware of it.

But then, absentmindedly, his finger flicked, which directed the rest of the clothing into the closet.

"Well, crap. That didn't last long." He muttered to himself. He smirked and shrugged.

Riku absolutely loathed the fact that he wasn't able to just be himself around his family. His ability was incredible (yes, he was well aware of that) and he constantly yearned for the approval of his close-minded parents. It was a useless wish. They would never move from their drastic view.

He walked down the stairs slowly, making each step last longer than the once proceeding it. Being around his parents was torture and although it made him a bit guilty to hide something from them, he did it to protect himself.

As he walked into the kitchen, his father was reading a newspaper. The headline read:

**Get rid of the freaks!**

Riku could tell that his father was devouring every word of the article. It made his stomach lurch in disgust.

"God damn muties." Zach stated, rolling the paper up and tossing it into the recycling.

Riku had to bite his tongue to stop himself from reacting verbally. He turned away from the table and quietly dished out a plate for himself.

"It's just, well, sort of unnatural. Their powers, I mean. It defies everything I thought I knew." Alexis said, biting her lip with worry.

"They're not powers, Lexi. They're nuisances. Advantages given to people who don't deserve them." Zach protested, slamming his spoon down onto the table.

Riku flinched at the exchange as he sat down at the table with his parents. It deeply wounded him that they were always so forward with their brutal opinions of people with abilities.

"I don't think it's about whether you deserve them or not. It's random selection." Riku muttered before he could stop himself.

"Excuse me, young man?" Alexis asked, raising a well-groomed eyebrow at her son.

Zach's gaze turned toward Riku as well, which was a rare occurrence.

Riku paled before shaking his head. "Er-nevermind. I didn't say anything important."

Zach shrugged and began to ramble on about how the 'muties' were starting an underground 'uprising'.

Alexis gasped in utter horror and shared the rumors that she had been hearing around town with her husband.

Infuriated, Riku clenched his fists under the table. He was invisible to his parents. But, better that than out of the street if they knew about his power.

Riku began to tremble with intensity, so much that suddenly his plate flew off of the table and shattered into pieces.

"Riku! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" His mother screeched in a utterly horrid voice.

Zach began to rise to his feet, his temper causing his face to turn an ugly shade of scarlet.

Riku was frozen for a moment before realizing it was time to escape. At least his parents hadn't seen what had actually happened. They just thought they had a pathetically clumsy son.

Before Riku realized what he was doing, he took off up the stairs. Both his parents objected loudly, but their voices were soon muffled by Riku's slamming bedroom door.

The one good thing about his parents was that they understood that if Riku's door was locked, it really meant 'Do not disturb'. With his back against the door, and his chest rising up and down in a hyperventilating state, he quickly clicked the lock on.

Without a second look back, he knew what he needed to do to clear his mind. He crossed the room and threw open his window.

Thankfully, it was an especially dark night, so the blackness would disguise his journey. He need the freedom of the sky.

The wind sent a breeze licking at his face and he breathed it in deeply, enjoying every last second of it. He needed the peace of flight.

He stepped up onto the windowsill, crouching down for balance. Once most of his body was out, he stood up, clutching to the outer paneling of the house. He smiled at the openness of the sky. It was where he thrived.

He slipped on his night vision goggles (that he had got as a part of a spy kit for his eleventh birthday) and surveyed what was above him. It was a hauntingly clear night, perfect for the relief he needed.

If it had been anyone else, they would have fallen to their death, but Riku was different, he was special; when he took the step off the ledge, he didn't fall, he soared.

_Oh snap new story! Yes my kitties here comes another new story. What do you guys think of it? _


	2. Chapter 2

The walk to school always felt extremely tedious to Riku. If there wasn't the risk of people seeing him flying, he could make it to school in five minutes instead of half an hour of walking through the winding streets.

But, at least, it gave him reason to leave his house and parents behind. In solitude, he could think, that is, until Axel met him halfway through the journey.

His redhaired friend ran up to greet him, he had his signature toothy smile stretched across his face.

"Guess what?" Axel gushed, pulling Riku into an alleyway.

Axel opened his hand and a flame seemed to appear out of nowhere. Axel's face glowed enthusiastically because of the little fire that he had conjured.

Riku reached out for it but then Axel quickly closed his hand in objection.

"You don't want to be touching that, mate, it's about one hundred degrees hotter than your body can take, it would char your skin in seconds." Axel explained, a warning look in his sapphire eyes.

Riku nodded in understanding. "I'm so glad you decided to finally show me your power. It's amazing, Axel. The flame is twice the size as last week!"

"You know how I do." Axel replied, shrugging in nonchalance.

Unfortunately, his excitement caused him to tremble so hard that it gave away his obvious sense of pride. He looked like a gerbil on speed. As they ducked back out onto the street, Riku laughed at Axel's state.

"I'm so tired of having to hide our abilities." Riku complained in a discrete tone as they continued on their path to school.

Axel winced and then shared, "It sort of comes with the territory, Ri. We aren't exactly the most liked people of this generation. It's all about misunderstanding and jealousy. The ones who don't have them, want them, and the ones who have them, have to hide them. It's a vicious circle that won't resolve itself until the entire planet is born with mutations."

Axel could be so rational, but frankly, it was depressing.

Riku wanted to take off right then and there: he dared people to stare at him. He wanted them to gape up in disbelief and utter horror, but then again, he didn't want to be thrown into a science lab either…

Axel noticed Riku's thought process and warned, "Don't do something you'll regret later, Riku. It isn't the time to be a rebel, not yet, at least."

"I just hate being in hiding. Once there is a group of rebels formed, I will be the first to join. Even the prospect of it gives me hope." Riku agreed, just as they arrived on the steps of their school.

Behind Axel and Riku, stood Sora, eavesdropping on the two mutated best friend's conversation. He couldn't help but be curious about their banter. He wanted to know he wasn't alone anymore.

But even if they wanted to catch him listening in, they wouldn't have been able to, for Sora, was nowhere to be seen.

Riku had stopped taking class seriously a long time ago. Academics came easily to him so he found it hard to tolerate his peer's ignorance. The teacher was currently trying to settle the class down, but to no avail.

Riku's eye were fixed on his teacher who seemed to be fighting herself on something. Ms. Melanie Yuna was a meek little thing and she looked as if she was beside herself with frustration.

The class was totally out of control today, blabbing on and on about the goings on of the weekend. Riku pitied his shy teacher but then he noticed her hand was trembling by her side.

She was hesitant about something but when the conversation elevated another decibel, she lost it. She snapped her fingers and Riku felt something come over him, his attention was now fully concentrated on Ms. Yuna. The odd thing was that the entire class was silent and attentive as well.

Ms. Yuna had an ability, Riku realized with a chuckle.

Their teacher was blushing fiercely but when she relaxed again, the hold over the class seemed to instantly dissolve. An extremely boisterous student named Noel began to instantly jabber on again.

She clenched her fists but didn't re-activate her power over him. "Noel. What is the capitol of Iceland?"

Noel Kreiss never was one to adhere to the rules of … well, anything. He came from a wealthy family: his father was a politician who was particularly against mutants and his mother was a stereotypical loyal housewife.

The class was geography and Riku soon realized that Noel probably didn't know much about the world outside of the US. Noel outwardly ignored Ms. Yuna question.

"Mr Kreiss. , I need you to answer the question, right now." Ms. Yuna practically growled, letting her frustration fuel her momentary surge of confidence.

Noel shrugged and tried to laugh off the question but when the teacher narrowed her eyes, he realized she meant business.

He began to stutter, obviously not knowing the answer to the question. Riku rolled his eyes and shot up his hand.

nodded at Riku, seeing Noel's face burn with embarrassment. "Yes, Riku?"

Sora, observing the loathing emanating from Noel toward Riku, winced. He knew all the too well of the repercussions of when people messed with Noel. You usually walked out of it with a bloodied nosed and a back eye.

"The answer is Reykjavik, miss." Riku responded, mischief dancing in his tone.

Riku was quite aware of the fact that he was making Noel's blood broil but he simply didn't care. In fact, he quite enjoyed putting the bloke through a moment of turmoil.

Ms. Yuna smiled widely at Riku. "You are correct, thank you for helping Noel out, Riku, clearly he needs to concentrate less on maintaining his reputation and more on his studies."

The class chuckled and Noel felt destroyed. He now hated two people: Ms. Yuna and Riku Eckhart. He wasn't going to tolerate being embarrassed in front of his peers by two useless beings.

Once the bell rung, Riku picked up his backpack. Sora scrambled to collect his things as well. He wanted to catch up to Riku and warn him about Noel. To his dismay, Noel got to Riku first.

"Who do you think you are, Eckhart?" Noel demanded, stalking up to his opponent after they exited out into the hallway.

Sora swallowed slowly and hid behind a row of lockers. He hated simply being a witness to the altercation but he didn't want to go home with another broken nose. He didn't need his mother worrying about him any further.

Riku spun around and smirked at Noel whose eyes were currently ablaze with hatred. It was a shame that he had been brought up with such a heart of hate, instead of defying his parent's thoughts like Riku had.

"What do you mean, Roxass?" Riku challenged, in a mockingly innocent tone.

Sora couldn't believe that Riku was standing up to Noel so openly. Maybe Riku really could beat Noel, simply with his wit.

Seconds after the hopefully thought passed through Sora's mind, Noel pushed Riku violently to the ground. As Riku's head smashed against the floor, Sora's heart shattered along with it.

Riku felt his himself falling backward but before he could catch himself with his power, his head cracked against he linoleum floor of the hallway.

Something inside him fell apart with him. Once the pain subsided, his eyes locked onto the amused looking Noel and he flicked his hand down toward the ground.

Sora's breath hitched as he watched Riku's hand move before Noel seemed to trip on nothing.

Did Riku have a power or was it just a coincidence?, Sora thought, completely incredulous.

The passing students laughed at Noel as Riku jumped back up to his feet. Noel's face was red with anger as he pushed himself up into a crouching position. His face was clearly scrapped up by Riku's hand.

"What the fuck, man?" Noel yelled, advancing on Riku once again.

Riku stood is ground and shrugged, "I didn't do a damn thing, don't take your clumsy nature out on me. It's embarrassing for even me to see you trying to blaming that on me."

Noel breathed heavily, his chest rising up and down at a rapid face as he grew more and more angry with Riku. To Sora's surprise, Riku seemed still unaffected by Noel's intimidating demeanor.

The thing that was helping Riku keep his cool was the fact that Noel was lesser than he was. Not only because he didn't have a power but also because he was an ignorant clod in general. He was clearly downing in his own close-mindedness and Riku felt the need to teach him a lesson.

"You're going to pay for this." Noel growled, his brow furrowing.

Riku scoffed, "I pity you, Noel. I don't know why you walk around this school thinking you are so much better than you are but it needs to end. If that means you need to attack me for the rest of our high school experience, so be it."

As is what Riku said was an inspiration, Noel stood up to his feet and Noel back an arm. Riku winced slightly, anticipating the contact but accepting that it would be a part of his endeavor.

But Noel's fist never connected with his face. When Riku re-opened his eyes, he saw Roxas, a jock, holding back Noel's fist.

This especially surprised Riku because by what he recalled, Roxas and Noel were friends.

"Don't do this, Noel. You'll regret it." Roxas advised, as Noel struggled against his friend's hold.

Noel slowly lowered his fist but quickly stalked away, Riku figured that was for the best.

"Thanks, mate." Riku muttered appreciatively to Roxas.

"We have to help our own." Roxas explained before walking away as well.

Riku was left, floored by Roxas's statement. What had the jock meant?

Sora was equally as confused because of what Roxas had said. But he also glad that Roxas had intervened. He was glad Riku could walk away from the situation without a bruise or any shed blood.

But with Riku's track record, that wouldn't last very long…. Sora decided to keep an eye on his rebellious (and extremely intriguing) peer.

_Axel isn't the typical "badboy" in this story just FYI. He's more of the innocent quiet one, really naive about things_


	3. Chapter 3

Roxas and Axel were in their science class when they first acknowledged each other's presences. They had been put together as lab partners a couple of days before the Noel/Riku altercation and hadn't paid much attention to each other before it. They came from completely different social circles and simply interacted with each other out of necessity.

Until today.

With today's assignment, they had to use the Bunsen burner to do some sort of experiment with acids and bases. Axel hadn't really done the homework required to do the experiment safely but Roxas came with a perfectly drawn out lab report and plan for it.

"Wow, uh, do you like this stuff?" Axel wondered, poking at Roxas's report.

"This stuff?" Roxas asked, in an amused tone. He lifted one eyebrow for extra effect.

Axel sighed. It made him feel like such an idiot when people undermined him, but at least Roxas had done so in a gentle way. "Science, experiments, whatever we have to do today…"

"If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll share a little secret with you." Roxas murmured, moving closer to Axel.

The redhead swallowed slowly, unfamiliar with what it was like to have the jock in such close proximity. Usually they kept their distance while in class, but now Roxas was practically inches away from his face.

"Uh… sure." Axel muttered, at a loss of words.

He couldn't decide if he was uncomfortable with Roxas breaching his personal bubble or if it was something he could get used to.

Roxas's smirked at Axel's apparent discomfort and then whispered, "Every summer I tell people that I got to football training camp and instead, I go to a physics and chemistry camp. Lips sealed, ok?"

Axel smiled at the secret he received. It made him feel like he could trust Roxas. Ever since the fight that Noel and Riku had had, Roxas seemed to be a completely different person. But what had changed?

The blond made a gesture where he dragged his fingers across his lips as if he were zipping them close. Roxas nodded, satisfied with the silent agreement they now had.

"I guess we should get going on this before the class ends." Roxas suggested, pulling out his textbook for a second reference of the experiment they were doing.

Axel went over to his bag and grabbed his own. He wanted to seem a little prepared because he didn't want Roxas to think he was a total slacker.

Wait. Why the hell do I care what Roxas thinks? Axel thought, shaking his head as he dug around in his bag.

Roxas had seen what Riku had done in the hallway, he knew for a fact that the rebel had powers. He looked down at his own trembling fingers, dry and cracked. He desperately wanted to be able to use his ability but he knew he had to refrain, at least, for now. It was comforting to know that others around him were struggling with the same things he was.

Since Riku and Axel were such good friends, it made Roxas wonder if Axel himself had a power, not that was a needed factor in a friendship between two people who happened to have powers…

The jock looked over his soldier to see Axel looking around in his backpack for his textbook and he had to stifle a laugh. Axel wasn't a great student but Roxas didn't mind, he enjoyed the blond's company. He just hated that the social standings had made that so awkward before considering Axel was such a cool lad.

But Roxas hardly cared about any of that anymore. In fact, ever since he found about his 'power', Roxas had felt alienated from most people his age; especially his 'best friend', Noel, who loathed anyone who was a mutant.

It was terrifying to know that people's perception could turn on such a dime. It was such a new and delicate situation but Roxas really wished that people could have a more open mind about the subject. He hoped that once his kids were his age, they wouldn't have the same struggles, considering the mutant gene could be part of their DNA. He would never let them be treated the way that society treats people with abilities now, they would know only the lovely side of the world, even if they developed powers of their own.

Deep in thought, Roxas turned on the Bunsen burner and the gas began to leak out in a practically invisible stream.

"Oh! Here it is!" Axel exclaimed, delighted at his discovery.

"Next time don't worry too much about it, I have one here anyway." Roxas advised him, turning around to face the blond.

That's when they collided. Axel's chest felt like an inferno as Roxas held him in his arms. The both pf them lost their breath at the contact, both utterly confused by the effect that the opposite had on them.

Axel's heart began to race and suddenly; a spark seemed to spring from his hand.

That alone was enough to ignite the Bunsen burner into a huge flame. People began to scream as the giant wave of heat swept across the classroom.

"Oh my god… Oh no…" Axel muttered, looking at what trouble his powers had gotten him into.

As much as Roxas should be panicking, he was shivering in utter delight at the reveal of Axel's power.

He was pyrokenetic, the perfect reflection of Roxas's own ability.

In the midst of the chaos, the teacher swiftly ordered the student to evacuate the classroom. But Axel simply ignored it and tried to absorb the flame into his own body. This was something that Riku had suggested might be a new level of his ability but right now, he simply couldn't do it.

And the flame was only growing bigger…

Roxas was frozen in his spot, eyes wide with wonder as he watched the blond attempt to retract the flame into himself. Unfortunately, it looked like Axel didn't quite have a handle on that aspect of his power yet, so Roxas knew it was time for him to step in.

The blonde made sure that everyone else had vacated the room before he raised his hands up toward the flame.

Axel's head snapped toward Roxas, eyes wild with confusion as to why Roxas was still there. "Get the fuck out of here, mate! You don't know what you're dealing with. Leave!"

Both boys were sweating at the intensity of the heat but neither was willing to give up.

"I'll be fine. Trust me. Watch and learn, Axel!" Roxas shouted over the crackling and sizzling of the building fire.

Axel watched breathlessly as a miracle happened before his eyes. Slowly, swirls of water seemed to emanate out of Roxas's hands. They ebbed and flowed toward the fire and slowly began to quiet it as the two elements mixed with one another.

Once the flames were extinguished, Axel turned to Roxas and smiled at him through the thick smoke that remained. Neither of them was alone.

"We have to get out of here before somebody finds out what happens. I don't really want people to find out about …. Well, that, yet." Roxas explained, nodding toward the soot that remained of Axel's mistake.

"I get it. I just keep learning more and more about you, Payne. I think I can be officially named as the keeper of your secrets." Axel teased before he began to cough.

The smoke was suffocating and Roxas quickly grabbed Axel by the hand. He climbed up on the ledge of the window, pulling up the blond with him.

Roxas ripped of the sleeve of his shirt and Axel got a little peek of Roxas's bare chest. He stared openly but soon realized how creepy that was, so he tore his eyes away from it.

Wrapping the material around his hand, Roxas prepared to punch the window out to facilitate their escape. But, Axel wasn't going to let him be the only hero in the story, so he swung back his foot and kicked the hell out of the window, shattering it instantly.

"Holy shit!" He shouted, clutching his foot in pain.

Roxas laughed as he jumped out the window; it was only a seven-foot drop. Axel hesitated, looking over the sill; he had never been a fan of heights. Roxas noticed this reluctance and beckoned with open arms at the blond.

"Jump!" He instructed, from below.

Axel decided to take the plunge, eyes closed. The fall only lasted for a second but that didn't make it any less terrifying. The only comfort was now he was in the safe clutches of Roxas's arms.

"Now that wasn't too bad, was it?" Roxas asked, setting Axel down on the concrete.

"Er…. Not in the least." Axel lied through his teeth, putting on his best brave face for Roxas.

Roxas grinned in amusement at the adorable blonds' sad attempt at looking courageous about the whole thing.

"Axel! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

Axel turned swiftly, to see Riku rush toward him, an utterly concerned look on his face.

"I accidently lit the Bunsen burner on fire." Axel explained before his best friend collected him up into a relieved hug.

"I'm just glad you're okay. Wait… how did you even get out of there?" Riku asked, pulling away from Axel. Then his eyes shifted to Roxas and he smiled in satisfaction. "Oh, I knew it! I totally knew it. Roxas's got an ability, doesn't he?"

Riku had never been one for discretion when he was excited which made Axel very nervous. But, Roxas didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was quite happy about Riku's enthusiasm about the whole thing.

"I do. I have hydrokenisis." Roxas admitted openly.

"The ability to create and manipulate water! That's so crazy. Axel has the power over fire, but I guess you already know that." Riku mused, enthralled with the confirmation of his speculation.

"Oi, Roxas! What are you doing talking to these freaks?" Noel asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Uh.. Nothing. Just talking about the fire." Roxas muttered, non chalantly.

This disappointed Axel but he understood where Roxas was coming from. His best friend would make his life a living hell if he ever even suggested that he might have an ability.

"Right. Well, let's get out of here. We have the rest of the day off." Noel practically ordered and while Roxas was reluctant on whether to follow him, Axel gave him an understanding look that said 'I get it'.

Riku looked like he was going to burst out of his skin with anger. "You know you can't just order people around, right, Noel?"

Noel rolled his eyes; he wasn't in the mood for this right now. He lifted his hand and flipped Riku off, knowing that later he would exact his revenge on the bastard He couldn't simply beat the shit out of him on school grounds, if he did, he would be expelled.

Roxas looked back at Axel and Riku and mouthed 'later'. Riku and Axel both knew it wasn't just a greeting, it meant they were going to continue this conversation and maybe Roxas would even join them for their next training session.

This delighted Axel and Riku for completely different reasons; Axel couldn't wait to spend more time with Roxas while Riku was excited for the capacity of Roxas's power.

From afar, Sora lingered, watching from around the corner of the school. He felt himself materialize, ready to finally talk to Riku and Axel. But then, Riku looked over his shoulder to directly where Sora was.

It was so startling that Sora immediately resumed his invisibility. He hoped that Riku didn't see him. He clearly wasn't quite ready for that yet…

_The introduction of Roxas! Yes in this story Roxas is the more dominant one, thought I mix it up a bit._


	4. Chapter 4

Mornings were hell at the Eckhart house. They always were.

It always entailed the most perfectly awkward wake up call from his mother and then usually was followed with an even more painful breakfast with both of his parents. This morning was no different.

"Time to get up, Riku! I will not tolerate you being late for school again. Out of bed. Now." His mother ordered after she threw his curtains open.

Apparently his alarm clock that was set to go off a minute later wasn't sufficient for her. Riku groaned at the light but then rolled out of bed. It had been a week since the whole Axel and Roxas fire accident.

Roxas had avoided Riku almost all week, or so it seemed. But, Riku understood. Noel was a prick who had little patience for defiance within his ranks. His ranks being the brainwashed and unlucky few that he deemed his friends.

Roxas was simply protecting himself from Noel's loathing and closed-minded wrath. Right now, Noel was the villain in Riku's mind.

Although maybe he had just been reading too many comic books lately…

Once his mother left, Riku quickly rolled out of bed and ran in his bathroom to brush his teeth. He used one hand to actually brush his teeth and with the other, he lifted things into his backpack teleketically.

He had a knack for multitasking for it was one of his main focuses in training. He wanted to ensure that he would never be got off guard when he was in the middle of something else.

"Riku! I'm serious, get down here! We have something to talk to you about!" His mother ordered at the top of her lungs.

"I'll be right down, I'm just getting dressed." Riku hollered in response.

This seemed to quiet her down. Riku rolled his eyes and then quickly dressed in a tight pair of jeans, a striped shirt and suspenders. His sense of style was never understated because it generally reflected his personality: bold and proud of how quirky he was.

He slipped on a pair of toms to complete the ensemble and grabbed his backpack over one shoulder and headed downstairs.

Zach was at the table, as usual, but today he didn't have a newspaper in hand. Instead he just sported a pair of accusing eyes and so did Riku's mother, Lexi, as she dished out the pancakes she had made for breakfast onto three plates.

"Son, please sit down, we have something to talk to you about." Zach practically ordered, having little patience for any objection.

Riku did as he was told because he simply didn't want to cause any problems with his parents; he really didn't have the energy to deal with their crap today, but he was just going to have to grin and bear it.

"There has been a mutant found in your school, a young woman named Paine Nulbright. She had the ability to impersonating people's voices perfectly. Imagine what could've happened if she had joined one of those rebel groups!" Zach explained to his son.

Riku could see that both of his parents were utterly horrified that he had had a peer that had a power.

If they only knew about the amount of people he knew now that had powers…. Or if they knew that their own son had one…

It disgusted him but to protect himself, he was going to have to play along for his parent's sake.

"Oh, god… that would've been awful. Do you know what happened to her?" He implored, making his concern for her wellbeing come across as concern for society in general.

Lexi placed the syrup down on the table and then responded, "No doubt that she's been taken away to one of those rehabilitation centers. They still haven't quite perfected how to strip away the mutant gene but with all the mutants they've been collecting to experiment on, it won't be long."

Riku couldn't believe his ears. How had he never heard of these places before?

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach to the point where he couldn't eat any longer. He pushed his plate away from him and muttered some excuse about meeting Axel for a project before he left his house.

The fresh air of even being outside (while still on the ground, unfortunately) was refreshing for Riku. His home was no longer a 'home'; it was torturous and suffocating prison.

He vowed to spend as little time as possible around his parents and in the house in fear that he might actually give in to their crazy point of view. He could see himself smiling like a loony bird and checking himself into one of those rehabilitation centers voluntarily.

Riku sat on the curb, waiting for Axel to join him to walk to school. He received a text ten minutes later stating that Axel was sick and his mom was forcing him to stay home. As if he didn't want to when his mother would probably be at his beck and call all day, not to mention the fact that he got to miss school for a valid reason.

He stood up to his feet and continued the walk to school alone, realizing facing the day without Axel was going to make things a lot less interesting at school.

Noel noticed in Ms. Yuna class that Axel wasn't at school which meant Riku was all alone today; especially on the way home. It was the perfect time to exact his revenge.

Sora saw that Noel was narrowing his eyes at Riku and he immediately got a debilitating wrenching feeling in his stomach. He knew that look. It meant that Noel was going to go after something he wanted. And today he wanted to hurt Riku.

After the bell rang to signal the end of the day, Sora walked out into the hallway after Riku and was about to warn him when Noel slammed him into a locker as he stalked past.

"Move it, weirdo." Noel barked at him and Sora winced.

Clearly, Sora wasn't going to be able to stop what was going to happen. But at least, he could watch over Riku… sort of. He promptly turned himself invisible and set off after Noel and Riku.

_(3:07 PM): I heard you were sick. That sucks, man. I missed you in science!_

_-Roxas_

_(3:09 PM): I spent most of the day watching old episodes of Supernatural and eating chicken noodle soup. You really don't need to pity me because I am in heaven. But, I'm sorry for leaving you all alone in science. :(_

_-Axel_

_(3:14 PM): I love Supernatural o; we should have a marathon sometime. It makes me proud to be American :) Don't worry, I lived and even prepared the next lab report for us in class today._

_-Roxas_

_(3:15 PM): Awwwww, how considerate of you! I would totally be down for this marathon. Also, did you hear about what happened with the whole Paine girl thing? Riku texted me about it earlier… It sounds pretty serious._

_-Axel_

_(3:20 PM): Sorry, did I say something to piss you off? :(_

_-Axel_

_(3:25 PM): No, no, you didn't! It just all a bit complicated…._

_-Roxas_

_(3:26 PM): …. Complicated, how?_

_-Axel_

_(3:28 PM) Noel was sort of the person to turn her in. I guess they were hooking up or something and as a joke, she did one of her impersonations. She doesn't really know who his parents are, so he talked her into doing more and more. When he was sure that she was a mutant, he called his dad who called someone else and came to collect her up. But… please don't tell anyone that. Especially Riku. He would kill Noel if he found out…._

_-Roxas_

_(3:31 PM) Holy crabs. That's intense and so wrong but I'll keep my lips sealed. You know how good I am with secrets anyway ;)_

_-Axel_

_(3:33 PM): That you are! :D There you go making light of a situation again. I trust you Axel and I barely even trust myself sometimes. Thank you for being here for me._

_-Roxas_

_(3:34 PM): You are more than welcome. I'm always here for you when you need. Lab partners for life!_

_-Axel_

_(3:36 PM): Definitely. :) LPFL! XD_

_-Roxas_

Noel was actually smart about his attack methods, which was probably the scariest part of his personality. He was ruthless when he wanted to be and tactful when he needed to be.

He had discretely followed Riku all the way until they were just far enough away from the school and not close enough to any public place for people to find them.

But, they also weren't alone: Sora was following, while invisible, close behind.

"Oi, Riku! Wait up." Noel called and the bloke stopped dead in his tracks.

Riku turned around slowly to face Noel and while there was momentary flash of surprise, he simply smirked at Noel.

"What do you want to waste my time with now, Noel?" Riku asked, his eyebrow raised in an arching challenge.

"Not going to waste your time, Riku, I'm going to get real to the point because that's the kind of guy I am." Noel stated, walking close to Riku and shoving him into the alleyway.

"A straight shooter, exactly what I like." Riku teased and Sora's breath hitched in terror.

"Don't start with that shit, I know for a fact you're scared shitless right now, so no more smart talk from you. You've made me look like an idiot too many time and now every time you think to open your smart ass mouth, you'll remember this." Noel threatened, raising his fist in the air.

Sora wanted desperately to do something but he was frozen in fear. He wished he could just be a little courageous for once in his life. He could stop the attack and even finally meet Riku, but he didn't do that.

Riku was going to keep it together. He wasn't going to show an ounce of fear. His hands were trembling so he shoved them into his pockets.

He looked straight into Noel's eyes and said: "Well, common then, man! Just hit me!"

Noel hesitated for a moment because of how intently Riku was looking at him, as if he were staring into his very soul. But the moment he tore his eyes away from Riku's accusing stare, he found the anger that fueled the violent attack that came afterward.

Sora could barely watch as the first punch landed hard on Riku's jaw; the deafening crack made Sora shiver with guilt.

But Riku didn't fight back. He took the beating without even using his power to protect himself. It was a fair fight but Riku had a point to prove. Noel was wrong.

Sora had to bit into his hand to muffle the terrified noises he was emitting, the guilty tears slid down his cheeks, as he remained utterly motionless and invisible. He was now the tainted witness to the beating.

Riku was keeled over with Noel kicking him in the gut when Noel had finally had enough.

Noel retreated quickly but not before quipping, "I hope you learned your lesson."

Riku lay in a mess of his own blood and pain. When he was finally strong enough, he used his power to levitate himself to his feet. He held onto the bricks for a while as Sora watched him with concerned eyes.

He began to limp away, his face bloody and beaten. He also looked pissed instead of simply afraid and weak. Riku wasn't weak, that's why he hadn't fought back.

As Riku started off, Sora felt like it was his duty to follow him, wherever the hell he actually was headed.

_LPFL! Haha Roxas is such a nerd :P_


	5. Chapter 5

Sora followed Riku all the way back to the construction site. He could tell that Riku was in a lot of pain but he simply wasn't ready to reveal himself. He knew it was selfish but he just couldn't chance Riku having a bad reaction to his presence.

Once Riku got to the privacy of the site, he let his anger loose. The entire fence around it was torn away at Riku's hand.

Sora witnessed Riku having an entire temper tantrum. He threw as much as he could around and put as much effort into destroying things as he could. He wanted nothing more than to cause destruction.

Then he got a very curious look in his eye and took off into the air. He flew around the building, Sora watching from afar. The telekinetic seemed to taking a mental blueprint of the sight, measuring its diameter with his naked eye.

When Riku settled back down onto the ground, he hesitated for a moment before breathing in deeply. He backed away from the sight so that he a full view of the building. He slowly moved his hands up and seemed to be concentrating very hard.

Nothing happened for a moment or two, but then the ground began to quake beneath Sora's feet. It felt like the ground was trembling but it didn't move out of the way as Sora expected, the building in front of Riku began to shiver slightly.

Sora's jaw dropped in complete awe as Riku began to lift the entire construction site off of the ground with his ability.

Riku was straining himself, which deeply concerned Sora. He could see the veins in Riku's head bulging because of the effort he was putting into levitating the colossal building.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Riku cried, putting his emotions and frustration into the breathtaking feat.

Raw tears stung his cheeks as every single obstacle he had ever face flashed before his eyes. The moment when he first discovered his powers, an image of his parents scowling at him, Noel pushing him to the ground…. He was done with it all. He no longer cared. He could only be so strong for so long with nothing but hate coming his way.

Sora desperately wished he could help the stranger he admired so much relieve himself of the turmoil he was experiencing, but that would mean revealing himself.

Riku collapsed to the ground as the pressure became too much for him to handle, the building came crashing down with him.

In surprise, Sora became visible without even being aware of it.

Riku looked up at him and scrambled back, completely startled by Sora's sudden appearance. He recognized the boy with the spiky hair as Sora Montgomery from school. They had most of their classes together but Sora was on the quieter side so Riku had really ever interacted with him before.

But now he saw Sora in a completely different light. His aquamarine eyes were piercing and his perfectly coiffed spiky hair framed his face that left Riku wanting to know so much more.

On top of all that, Sora had an ability. He could hide, so no matter if anyone found about his power, he could protect himself. Riku was quite jealous of it.

It would serve as the perfect cloaking device if they ever needed to escape from real danger…. Riku thought. In a world where Riku got everything he wanted, Sora would join Roxas, Axel and Riku in their training.

It took a moment for Sora to realize he was no longer invisible. Riku was looking directly at him with an intrigued but not upset look on his face.

"S-sorry." Sora muttered before disappearing once again.

Riku scrambled to his feet, running toward the direction where Sora had set off in but Sora had learned his lesson and easily escaped from Riku.

"I just want to talk to you! Sora!" Riku called into the nothingness that stretched out in front of him.

Sora didn't respond but Riku decided to make a point of finding him at school the next day. Sora had obviously been watching over him for quite a while and although most people would think that was creepy, Riku found it quite endearing and flattering.

Sora heard Riku's protest at his departure and he could've just stopped there but instinctively his feet kept him running at full speed away from Riku. There was something that was so dangerous about Riku and at the same time, Sora could see himself trusting the boys with his life.

But instead of heading straight home, Riku decided to call Axel and invite him out for some late night training. He took out his phone and dialed the blonds' number.

"I really wish one of us was a telepath, it'd make things a lot easier." Axel complained, picking up his phone.

"Come on out for some training. I lifted the entire building and I feel like getting some real work done tonight. You down?" Riku invited in a very persuasive voice.

Axel grumbled for a moment or two before giving in. "Fine. But you have to fly me home."

"Fiyiiiiiiiiiiine." Riku responded before hanging up his cell.

He wasn't going to tell Axel quite yet about the new mutant he had discovered. For some reason Sora felt like a special case to him.

It's not like he wasn't already an expert at keeping secrets…

Axel walked into the classroom, looking exhausted as ever. Roxas turned toward him and gave the adorable little blond a sympathetic pout.

"Late night, Axel?" Roxas inquired as Axel set down his bag by their working station.

Axel sighed and collapsed down onto a stool next to the table where Roxas had laid out the necessary components of their in class experiment for that day.

"Riku kept me late last night, training for… you know what." Axel explained, poking at the bags under his own eyes.

Roxas saw this and chuckled at his very tired friend. Then he caught sight of Axel's green eyes and couldn't help but admire their sparkling quality.

"What…?" Axel asked, catching Roxas red handedly staring at him.

"Oh, nothing. Do you want some ice for your eyes?" Roxas asked, in a somewhat secretive tone.

Axel smiled mischievously. "Sure, that'd be awesome."

Roxas stuck his hand underneath the workstation to ensure nobody would bare witness to the miracle he was about to perform. With some simple concentration, a little bit of water appeared in his hand and with a little more thought, he changed it's state into frozen form.

Axel was astonished when Roxas produced three small ice cubes from underneath the table.

"Here, I have a cloth in my bag. Take these for a second?" Roxas instructed, handing them off to Axel.

Roxas dug in his bag for the cloth but when he turned around with it in hand, Axel looked very distraught.

The ice cubes had melted right in his hands, assumedly because of his power.

"I-I'm sorry." Axel apologized, which was completely unnecessary in Roxas's opinion. But, it was charming so he accepted it.

"It's fine, Axel, it's not just a one time offer." Roxas assured the blond, slipping his hand under the table once again.

He took the cloth and wrapped it around the ice cubes and pressed it to Axel's face with his own hands.

Axel winced slightly at the cold but then relaxed. It warmed his heart that Roxas was looking and attending to him with such care. It assured him that Roxas really did have an interest in him, even if it just was friendship.

"Thank you, Roxas." Axel murmured and Roxas simply nodded.

Roxas was in his own world as well. The only thing he could see at the moment was Axel and the fire that danced in the little redheads' eyes. It practically beckoned and teased Roxas, even if Axel was totally unaware of it's doing so. It was utterly entrancing, even if the principal of it was dangerous. Roxas yearned to meddle with the heat that Axel seemed to emanate constantly.

"You are more than welcome." Roxas responded, in a very intimate tone.

Axel eye's darted toward the table and then Roxas realized they actually had an assignment to attend to.

Roxas quickly brought the cloth away from his friend's eyes and noted, "You look better already."

"I don't know if I feel better that we have this experiment to do…" Axel complained, looking at the arrangement of the materials that they had to deal with. He would be so utterly lost if it wasn't for Roxas's help.

"All we have to do is change the form of the element from solid to gaseous." Roxas explained and Axel just gave him a 'what the hell are you talking about' look.

Roxas laughed and pulled out his textbook, opening it to the page they'd be needing.

That's when Axel came up with an amazing idea. "Why don't we just ditch… the teacher's not even here right now…"

Roxas tilted his head in slight interest; he had never in his life missed school for anything besides sickness.

"Okay, but you have to promise we'll be back for my football practice, okay?" Roxas bartered, already feeling the heat from Axel pulling him to the dark side.

"Follow my lead." Axel prompted, ducking down and bringing down Roxas along with him.

They shuffled along the back of the classroom silently, they could have been practically invisible with how unnoticed they were going.

Once they made it out of the classroom, mischief was dancing in Roxas's eyes. He felt like a full fledge rebel in the making.

Axel chuckled amusedly at the sight.

"Where are we going to go?" Roxas asked, practically squirming with anxiety.

"My favorite place on earth." Axel answered before dragging a very confused looking Roxas down the hallway and out of the school.

After the bell rang, Sora scurried out of the hallway. He desperately wanted to avoid Riku who he had just had a class with. He had felt Riku's eyes boring into him the entire class.

Sora weaved and darted through the mess of students in the hall but he could sense that Riku was hot on his trail but then suddenly the pursuit stopped. Sora relaxed, guessing that Riku had given up the chase.

But Sora was wrong; when Riku wanted something, he got it.

As he walked by a dark classroom, Sora felt himself being pulled by some untraceable force into the classroom.

Sora was met with Riku's deep blue eyes staring at him. "So you've been spying on me, eh, Montgomery?"

"No! I mean… er…." Sora sputtered, completely taken aback by Riku's accusation.

They both knew Riku was right, Riku just wanted to heart Sora admit to it for his own amusement.

"Yes. I mean…. Yes, I did." Sora explained.

Riku smiled triumphantly. "And you have a power…"

Sora wasn't sure if he wanted to be completely honest about this part and when Riku turned away from him for a moment to sit down on the teacher's desk, he switched on his ability and tried to escape.

"Calm on, Sora, two can play at this game." Riku protested disappointedly when he realized the spiky haired boys had disappeared.

Riku raised his hand toward the chalkboard and two brushes began to slam together in thin air, which created a thick cloud of dust. Riku could easily see Sora's outline.

Sora was so shocked by Riku's clever ruse that he stopped in his track. There was no point in running any longer, they went to the same school and saw each other every day. Sora was just going to have to find the strength and courage to face Riku for real this time.

When he looked over at Riku, he wasn't sure if Riku wanted a fight or just to talk. Sora warmed up his mind for either.

He took a step out of the cloud and became visible, ready for anything that the telekinetic lad was going to throw at him.

_Thoughts?_


	6. Chapter 6

Terra sauntered into the school; it was his first day and he was ready to make an impression. Today his hair was midnight blue and his eyes were silver; to most he would just look like an eccentric boy who likes to sport bizarre dye jobs and colored contacts but in actuality, he was a shape shifter.

He walked into the office and saw a girl leaning against the counter with short blue hair.

"I'd like to apply to do the morning announcements, because honestly, it seems like the people who do it now have no idea what they're talking about." The girl stated to the secretary.

"Aqua, I appreciate your enthusiasm, really, but that's not exactly up to me." The secretary responded, wincing slightly.

Terra smirked as he watched Aqua contemplate pushing on any further with her endeavor.

She's got quite the balls for a girl, Terra thought.

Aqua's head snapped toward Terra and his breath hitched.

"Excuse me?" Aqua asked of Terra.

"I didn't- I mean- er…" He stammered, realizing he probably wasn't making the best first impression.

Aqua suddenly grabbed her backpack and muttered, "Never mind. Sorry."

She exited the office and Terra was completely taken aback. Had the girl just read his mind?

He was intrigued and slightly terrified of her at the same time.

Terra might just last more than a month her….

"Whoa! Sora! I don't want to fight!" Riku exclaimed, holding the curly haired boy back with his power.

Sora immediately relaxed, slightly confused about what the hell Riku wanted then.

Riku walked closer to Sora, still holding him in place with his telekinesis. Sora struggled against it slightly but quickly gave up on that.

"So, tell me, Sora, about your ability." Riku prompted, sitting down onto a desk near Sora.

"Invisibility and… I can make force fields." Sora explained and Riku let his grasp on Sora go.

Riku watched as his hold over Sora dissipated but the boy stayed rooted to the spot.

Sora noticed Riku's black eye and felt suddenly consumed by guilt because of it. He looked down at the linoleum classroom floor and muttered, "I'm sorry for just watching the fight, I should've done something to stop it."

Sora looked up at Riku with his aquamarine eyes and saw Riku advancing toward him intensely. Sora shivered and winced slightly, anticipating another fight.

"Sora. It's fine." Riku said, suddenly smirking. "I probably would've done the same thing if I had been in your situation."

Sora faltered for a moment but then saw that Riku was being genuine. He smiled shyly and complimented, "Your power is telekinesis, right? It's amazing how in control of it you are."

Riku had always been a sucker for flattery, so right now, Sora was playing all the right cards to win him over.

"Thanks, Mate." Riku answered. " By the way, you don't have to be Invisi-boy anymore around me. I like what I see."

Sora realized that Riku meant it only platonically but he blushed anyway. Riku thought it was quite an adorable look on the curly haired introvert.

"I don't think I'll work on the stalker angle anymore." Sora joked.

"Good idea." Riku agreed. "You're far too innocent to be creepy anyway."

They both laughed and in their minds knew that this was going to be the start of something very… interesting (whether it turned out good or bad).

"Only you would bring me to an ice cream parlor and have it be your favorite place on earth." Roxas deemed, smirking down at Axel.

Axel scowled. "Oi! Don't hate, it helps me cool down."

Roxas laughed but understood where Axel was coming from; Roxas, himself, had to drink an obscene amount of water to keep him hydrated.

"Now, what do you want? I'm buying." Axel stated, looking up at the menu.

Roxas thought on it for a moment before making an informed decision. "A root beer float. They're the best."

Axel smiled as the shop worked came over to where they were standing. "Two root beer floats, please."

The worker nodded and went off to prepare their orders.

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Roxas mused, sitting down at a booth.

"You needed a break so I gave you one." Axel shrugged, sliding himself into the booth and across from Roxas.

Roxas smiled appreciatively. Axel beamed at him and then Roxas realized he didn't actually know much about the blond boy outside of the fact that he had a power (and that he always seemed to be hankering for food).

"So is this the first time you've take someone out to here? Any special boyies in your past?" Roxas asked innocently.

Axel looked down at the place setting in front of him and toyed absentmindedly with the napkin, trying desperately to hide his embarrassed blush.

"I didn't mean to pry… sorry, mate." Roxas muttered, not wanting to make Axel feel uncomfortable.

Axel gazed up at Roxas and shrugged, "No, it's not big deal, I just haven't really had any luck in the… love department. I guess I'm just too awkward and… too Axel for anyone to ever show any interest outside of friendship. I'm the guy people like to lead on."

Roxas couldn't believe that Axel had never dated anyone before. He seemed like the confident, self-aware jokester that people would die to date. But maybe that's what the problem was, people couldn't ever tell if he wanted to just be their friend or something more.

"Tell me about your past exploits." Axel suggested, smiling to protect his embarrassment.

Roxas noticed Axel's deterrence but he didn't put any focus on it. He decided to answer Axel's question honestly. "Oh, I don't know, there's been a few people here or there but there's never been anything serious. I guess I don't really know what its like to just throw myself into something where I can trust someone that much. Does that make sense?"

Axel nodded slowly as the worker put down their root beer floats in front of them.

"So we each have our troubles with the ladies." Axel joked and Roxas just winced, slightly perturbed that Axel had specified a gender.

Not that Roxas was gay… was he?

But he couldn't let Axel see his discomfort so he added, "Looks like it. We're just too dreadfully attractive boys that girls find… too intimidating to actually date."

"Right." Axel muttered, taking a gulp from his root beer float.

"Roxas! Hey! What are you doing here?"

A girl ran over to the booth they were sitting at and looked completely past Axel, turning toward the jock.

"Oh, hey, Rosa. I'm just here with my friend, Axel; we needed a break from school, if you catch my drift. How are you?" Roxas answered, a charming grin spreading across his face.

Axel felt completely ignored, if only he had the power of invisibility…

"I'm great! Rydia and I were just out shopping and decided to stop in for some fro-yo. This place makes the best stuff!" Rosa continued enthusiastically, lying down onto the booth so that her cleavage was all over the place.

Axel rolled his eyes at her outwardly flirty attempts and the fact that she had just used the word 'fro-yo'. He looked at Roxas, wishing desperately that he felt the same way, but the jock was still smiling like a fool.

The blond put one hand on his glass to take another sip and felt his temperature rising significantly. He didn't want to class it as jealousy but he knew somewhere deep down that it was. He didn't like that 'Rosa' was talking to Roxas because he wanted Roxas all to himself.

"I know! This place really is a gem, I'm so glad that Axel brought me. It's been seriously way too long since I last saw you. It's kind of crazy how time just flies by the way it does…" Roxas stated, stirring his straw in circles as he chatted with the girl.

Axel could barely believe his ears. They clearly had a history. That's the way it was going to be: Roxas was clearly a ladies man and Axel wanted nothing to do with. His cheeks felt hot as Roxas kept his eyes on Jules.

Suddenly, Axel's glass of root beer boiled over and exploded, splattering ice cream all over the place. Most of it landed on Rosa and Axel couldn't help but smirk as she screamed in shock.

Sometimes Axel was so happy when his power decided to take the wheel.

"What the hell? Are you an idiot?" Rosa cried, her eyes aflame as she glared in Axel's direction.

Roxas immediately stood up and grabbed some napkins from the counter. Axel slumped in disappointment as he watched his plan backfire. Roxas was going to be the girl's knight in shining armor and they were going to ride off into the horizon together… and get married… and have gorgeous babies.. And…

"Rosa, don't talk to him like that, it was an accident." Roxas snapped, passing her a few napkins but then moved toward Axel.

Roxas lifted up Axel's hand, which Axel now realized had a small but still noticeable chunk of glass sticking out of it. There was only a little bit of blood but it was enough to make Axel feel a bit nauseous. He was glad Roxas was there to help get rid of it and he was also thankful for the numbing affect of shock.

Roxas, with a worried look on his face, quickly removed the piece of glass and then pressed the napkins against the open wound. Axel just beamed up at him.

"I'm sorry, Rosa, but I think we have to go." Roxas muttered, taking Axel by his undamaged hand and leading him out the door.

Axel was delighted to see that Roxas ignored the girl's pathetic screeches of protest as they continued out on the street.

"…What happened in there, Axel?" Roxas asked once they were in enough solitude.

"Erm… I don't know but I'm okay now." Axel stammered, hoping that would be sufficient enough of a response for Roxas.

"Ok, good. Thanks for convincing me to do this. It was a lot of fun." Roxas noted, glancing at Axel as they walked back toward the school.

"Any time." Axel responded, smiling up at Roxas.

Roxas laughed. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Axel shook his head, chuckling lightly at Roxas's stupid joke.

Roxas grinned, glad that he simply could be himself around Axel without any judgment. It was freeing and Roxas couldn't get enough of it.

As Sora and Riku sat down in their class, smiling at each other, a boy walked into the class that neither of them recognized.

The boy was darker and had an intense look in his…. silver eyes?

Alarm bells sounded in Riku's head as he gazed upon the stranger's outlandish appearance. Riku knew that there was something different about the boy but it could just be his taste in attire rather than a power. But more often than not, Riku was correct about his feelings. The new guy had a power.

"The new guy. Terra Pursone, I read his file, he's a bit of a bad boy. He's been to five different school in the past two years, expelled from each and every one of them."

Roxas was taken aback as Aqua Dalloway whispered in his ear. The girl had never talked to him before and now she was reporting to him as if he was the boss of the newsroom she aspired to work in.

Not that he wanted to be a jerk, but he also wanted to figure out her intentions, he said, "Why do you think I care?"

She didn't falter at Riku's attitude, instead, she just gave him a knowing smile.

"You probably think I'm an idiot, well, I don't care what you think. I'm just trying to help you out…" She explained and Riku decided he liked this girl.

"So, his name's Terra? Talk about different… Thanks for the Intel." He said, liking that he had another ally.

Aqua smiled in satisfaction as she looked up at the mysterious boy that stood at the front of the class. When Terra caught her eye, he winked at her. She couldn't help but blush but she hid it well by looking down at her work.

Sora saw this and smiled at her; he knew exactly what it was like to be intrigued by something you shouldn't mess with. Except it was too late for him, he had already given in to his curiosity and was now… well, he didn't know what the hell he was getting himself into with Riku but whatever it was… it was exciting.


	7. Chapter 7

Terra had been going to his new school for a good week now, Aqua hadn't really spoken to him since the first day in the office, but he knew they had more than one class together. He felt her eyes on him constantly, as well as another bloke in the class. But he wasn't looking at Terra the way Aqua did, the stranger's way was much more knowing.

One afternoon, Terra noticed Aqua trailing behind him and he turned around quickly to catch her red-handedly following him. He didn't mind the attention; he just wished he knew exactly what she wanted.

Her eyes went wide in surprise, realizing she had been caught but before Terra could approach her, she ducked into the girl's bathroom for refuge. He just smirked; two could easily play that game.

He quickly found an empty hallway and closed his eyes. He visualized exactly the way he wanted to look, every last inch of his intended appearance. The important part of using his power was to make sure you didn't leave out any of the details, lest they be unattended to and remained the same as they were before.

In one particular case in the past, Terra had changed himself into a perfect replica of his principal, save all of his tattoos. It hadn't really went over very well when people recognized his very unique tattoos all over a doppelganger of their principal. He had been forced to leave that school the very next day, at his own accord, of course.

Terra could sense the change beginning, his actual molecular structure completely rearranging himself under his command. His complete DNA was changing because he willed it to do, he was choosing with genes would appear and those that wouldn't.

He felt himself become at least five inches shorter, losing his manly gait and gaining a completely female makeover. His short hair became long and blonde while his clothing changed as well. He was an artist and his cells were so advanced they could even imitate real material. He knew his power completely through and through, and it only made it easier that he was such a visual and creative person to be able to completely alter his appearance.

When he re-opened his eyes, he looked at the world through sparkling green eyes. He stashed his backpack behind a trashcan and sauntered over to the girl's bathroom. Sure, this was technically violating the rules, but he felt as if though he was just going to have to make this exception.

He smirked as his peers gave him a wide-eyed look, causing him to accentuate the swaying of his hips even more. He was hot stuff, why not flaunt it?

Terra walked into the girl's washroom and saw Aqua there, reapplying her soft pink lipstick. Now, he was just going to have to break the ice. How the hell do girls do that anyway?

"Cute top…" Terra muttered, amused by how high voice his voice came out.

Aqua's attention turned to the stranger who was standing a few feet away from her, something seemed very familiar about the girl but she couldn't quite figure it out.

"Um… thanks. Do I… uh… know you?" Aqua asked, feeling as awkward as could be.

"Probably not. I'm new here… speaking of which, there's another new guy here, Dean or something…" Terra said, turning toward the mirror and playing with his long blonde hair.

He saw out of his periphery that Aqua was blushing.

"It's Terra actually. He's a bit different, but I think he means well. He came from another school after being kicked out of like, five others. I can't help but look into cases like that, I'm a journalist for the school newspaper so when something like that comes up with a guys as intriguing as Terra, I simply can't ignore it. He probably thinks I'm a total stalker…" Aqua explained, putting her lipstick back into her bag and turning toward the strange girl. "Why do you want to know about him though?"

This is where Aqua's instincts always benefited her, she could tell when something was off, and she just had a gut feeling. Although she hated using her 'third eye' as she fondly referred to her power, she felt the situation was probably suitable.

Terra quickly realized she had caught on to his facade. Aqua was a clever girl and he should never have underestimated her. Although he had got what he wanted out of the situation, finding out what she wanted. He was slightly disappointed by the fact that he was clearly just a research article waiting to be written by her, but at the same time, there had to be something else going on, why else would she have been blushing at the mention of his name?

Just as Aqua was about to use her power, the bizarre stranger fled the room. This startled Aqua but also confirmed her suspicions that something weird had been going on. She took one look back at herself in the mirror and decided to go make her daily report to her new friend and partner in crime, Riku Eckhart.

_(12:05 PM)_

_Where are you Invisi-boy? We have gym right now!_

_-Ri_

_(12:07)_

_I hate gym. You should know that. Plus, Noel looks especially pissed off today, I don't want to be his punching bag._

_-So_

_(12:10)_

_Sora, how would I know you hated gym? We've only been actually talking for a week and I mean, I don't want to just make judgments like that. ;) Drew's an idiot; we can take him any day._

_-Ri_

_(12:13)_

_Well, how nice of you for not judging me. Hah. But, you're a bit of a hypocrite, sure, you're in class, but all you're doing is standing there and texting. And for the Noel part, I think you have a black eye to support the fact that we wouldn't win. And what would I do? Hide from him?_

_-So_

_(12:15)_

_Texting is a form of exercise! Anyway, my mom would kill me if she found out I was skipping so although I show up to classes, I generally don't try or care. Academics come naturally for me anyway. You could totally kick Noel's ass, we just have to get you some martial arts training. You'd be like an invisible ninja!_

_-Ri_

_(12:18)_

_If I ever had a super hero name, it would definitely have to be Invisible ninja. That sounds totally awesome. And texting is not exercise; running is exercise, which I'm doing anyway._

_-So_

_(12:21)_

_Oh my god, you're in class but you're invisible. You are doing the class but you aren't getting credit for it because no one can see you! Do you know how ridiculous that is?_

_-Ri_

_(12:22)_

_This is just how I do things, I'm an odd one and I'm proud of it._

_-So_

_(12:24)_

_And so you should be! :) I think that we should walk home together today, I'll pawn lover boy Axel off on his flirtatious lab partner/hydrokinetic. Deal?_

_-Ri_

_(12:27)_

_Sure, but I won't guarantee that I'll be visible. I don't know if I'm willing to be seen in public with an ass-hat like you._

_-So_

_(12:28)_

_SORA MONTGOMERY! WHERE DID THAT SORT LANGUAGE COME FROM?_

_-Ri_

_(12:31)_

_I'm hiding behind the protection of my invisibility, plus a phone. That's where it comes from. I can be as evil as I want to be without suffering any real consequences._

_-So_

_(12:32)_

_Fair enough. I'll see you by my locker after school. I'm assuming you know exactly where it is considering you were my stalker for so long…_

_-Ri_

_(12:33)_

_NOT A STALKER!_

_-So_

_(12:34)_

_NOT AN ASSHAT!_

_-Ri_

_(12:36)_

_Can we agree to disagree?_

_-So_

_(12:37)_

_I'll see you after school, Sora. Hah._

_-Ri_

"You really are an awful influence on me." Roxas noted, as he parked the car right outside of the abandoned construction sight.

It was Roxas' second time in a week skipping class because of Axel's suggestion, but Roxas just couldn't resist the pleading look in the blonde's gorgeous blue eyes.

Sometimes Roxas didn't understand how Axel had such a hold on him, because he had never felt this way about someone before. He wasn't sure if it was just that he wanted to be really good friends with Axel or if it was something more… The thought terrified him slightly just because he knew how closed minded Noel and most of the community was about such thing. I mean, coming out with a power was one thing but coming out as gay… sure, it was a little less frowned upon but to whom he was friends with especially, wouldn't be accepted even in the slightest.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just can't help myself. You'll love this place, I promise." Axel confirmed, jumping out of the car and running toward the site.

Roxas hesitated for only a moment but when Axel turned around and beckoned for him to follow, he simply couldn't resist. There was something that he couldn't get enough of when he looked at the fiery bloke.

Axel had been unsure whether Riku would let him share the place with Roxas so he was surprised when he got Riku's text encouraging the blonde to show Roxas their secret location. But, Axel decided not to think about it too much because it meant that Riku clearly trusted Roxas.

Maybe it was their perfect balance that caused them to have such a deep and immediate question but Axel wasn't willing to question it anymore. He was aware of his feelings and he could tell that Roxas felt something too. Maybe Roxas just wanted friendship and that was okay with Axel, because as long as he got to be with his watery counterpart, he was ready to face the world.

"Riku! Wait up!" Aqua called after the impish bloke.

"What's the update, cupcake?" Riku greeted, smiling brightly as his comrade.

Aqua rolled her eyes at his bizarre lingo; she didn't have the time or patience for it right now. She had to tell him about what happened in the girl's bathroom.

But she had to tell him discretely, so she took his hand to pass him the information. He smirked at the contact, still not used to this part of her power. He was in a rush to meet Sora at his locker but if she had a useful scoop, he needed to hear it.

Testing 1….2…3…?

He gave her a reassured look to let he know he could hear her inside of his head.

_**I'm still trying to figure out Terra's power and it's limitations. I have a feeling he has some control over manipulating his appearance, I just don't know how much. It could be as little as the eye color change or… just hear me out… he could be a full fledge shape shifter. He seems very advanced and confident about himself, so I have a feeling that that is what we are dealing with… especially with what happened earlier…**_

Riku gave her a questioning look.

_**Okay… so, there was this girl in the bathroom, asking about Terra. I'd never seen her before and you don't go to this school and not know everyone who goes here. It's too small for that. I had this crazy feeling that I knew her somehow… but she didn't look like anyone I've ever met. Just as I was about to read her mind, she ran out. It was totally disappointing.**_

"I bet you it was him." Riku concluded, aloud and Aqua nodded in agreement.

"This is so crazy, all of this." She mused as they continued to walk down the hallway, hand in hand.

Riku laughed, "You'll get used to it, I promise."

He stopped by his locker but couldn't see Sora anywhere; he figured his friend was probably just late. Riku couldn't wait to see Sora and share with him what Aqua had told him.

The problem with hiding your appearance is that sometimes you can see a situation out of context. Both Sora (hidden by his invisibility) and Terra (shrouded with his altered genes) looked onto Riku and Aqua holding hands with disappointment in their eyes. While they didn't necessarily have claim over the two people holding hands, they felt great jealousy building inside themselves as they watched from their prospective hiding spots.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A few days before the hallway incident…**_

After Terra's first day, Aqua had been reading Riku's mind and had discovered that he also had a power. She instantly sought sanctuary in this by cornering him after class.

But she knew to be discrete about it, so she took hold of his arm and began to talk to him through her mind.

Okay, I know this is going to be weird so you're just going to have to trust me. I can read minds and I know that you can move things with your mind, which is pretty bad ass by the way.

Riku was frozen to the spot in shock, while he had suspected Aqua had a power, he hadn't anticipated her being able to communicate without actually talking. But, he quickly grew accustomed to it and even smiled when she complimented his power.

All right, I think I can help you and I think you can help me. I don't know any other mutants here and I know you're trying to start some form of alliance between a bunch of us, right? Or am I totally off base here?

He smirked at her and nodded. She would be the perfect addition to the team as a spy and maybe she would even be able to help recruit some more people. Or at least keep Riku and the group in the loop about who had powers within their peers. Sure, her ability was a bit intrusive but it could also help them out quite a bit.

_**Oi! I'm not a spy, Riku! I can choose when and when I don't want to listen in on people, it's not like an open radio wave, although there have been a few times that somebody's thoughts have been so strong that they've broken through the wall of my power. And, I have an uncanny instinct for when people have powers but it's usually just a gut feeling, that's when I begin to listen in on them. I'm just tired of feeling completely alienated and different, you know? My ability is not a threat to anyone, its just part of who I am.**_

Riku nodded in understanding. "I think this is the start of a very interesting friendship."

"I concur." Aqua said aloud, smiling in agreement.

They had been in contact ever since.

Back to present…

Terra turned on his heel when he saw Aqua and Riku holding hands, he didn't want to know any more of what was going on between them, so he decided to ignore it entirely. It wasn't fair to himself to get bogged down with something as juvenile as envy, especially about a girl he had only met once. He continued on away from the exchange, finding a private place to shape shift back into himself. He was done with this skin for now…

Sora stared at Riku and Aqua and simply wanted to run away. He didn't know why he felt so utterly betrayed, but he did. It was as if Riku had broken a promise to him that he had never made. It was totally irrational and yet, Sora couldn't help but feel completely hurt by Riku's actions.

But, moments later, the girl and he separated and Riku continued on to his locker, just as they had arranged. Sora decided to push his petty jealousy aside and do what his heart was telling him to do, ask Riku what was going on.

He quickly turned off his invisibility and just as Riku opened his locker, peered around the side of it. Riku visibly jumped out of fright, his blue eyes growing wide with shock.

"Oh my god, Sora! Where the hell did you come from?" Riku exclaimed, catching his breath as his heart raced out of fear.

Sora smirked before he whispered, "Remember, Ri, I can turn invisible?"

This comment relaxed Riku significantly as a smile broke across his face at the spiky haired boy who had scared the living daylights out of him. He saw the sparkle of mischief in Sora's eyes and it made something inside stir with interest, he had never seen this bold side of Sora before, he quite enjoyed it.

"You called me 'Ri'." Riku stated, grabbing his books out of his locker and transferring them into his bag. "I like that a lot actually."

Sora's jealousy completely disappeared at the exchange; Riku clearly gave a toss about him outside of just his power. They were friends; he wasn't being replaced with the new girl even if they were in a relationship.

"Oh, I'm glad." Sora responded, watching Riku zip up his bag and close his locker. "So, uh, you and Aqua, eh?"

Riku burst out laughing at Sora's ridiculous assumption. Though, in hindsight, he could see why the bloke made the assumption, with the handholding and all.

"No, not even a little bit. We're just friends with benefits." Riku explained, as they began to walk down the hallway and out of the school.

Sora's eyes grew wide and the bad feeling in his stomach returned in full force. Maybe Riku really wasn't who he thought he was. "Seriously? I wouldn't expect that from a guy like you…"

"Oh my god, that's not what I meant!" Riku gushed, stopping in his tracks and looking straight at Sora to get his point across. "Bad word choice. We're just friends, I assure you! She just has a …. You know what… that is 'beneficial'."

Sora couldn't hide the relieved grin that graced his face at Riku's correction. He tried to hide it by turning away but he was sure that Riku had caught sight of it, even for a second.

Axel and Roxas were inside the construction site and Roxas was having the time of his life. He had flooded the entire hallway with water and now was making tidal waves toward Axel.

The redhead couldn't do much to deflect it besides light things on fire and hope they would help protect him a bit. It was sort of an unfair battle at this point. But, Axel couldn't care less, he was with Roxas and it really wasn't a competition.

"Oi, water boy, want to tone down on the current a little bit? You're going to sweep me right away!" Axel called to Roxas who was having a hay day messing with the different forces of water.

Roxas laughed loudly and lifted his hand to the quadrant of water that Axel was wading in, calming the waves significantly under his command. Axel was happy at the change in pace of the thrashing water that had been swirling around him for the last twenty or so minutes.

The blonde looked up into the air and lifted his palm to the ceiling. A small flame ignited in his hand and traveled up toward the tiles that were above them. They began to lick their way along the ceiling and soon, the entirety was covered in flickering flames.

Roxas watched in complete awe at the contrast between the two elements and how they reacted to one another. For a moment, they tried to combat each other but then they settled, creating an eerie but gorgeous contrast between them.

Axel was enthralled by it as well and when he looked back at Roxas, there was a silent appreciation for the sight that was shared between them. The fire and water were so perfectly balanced in the room and so were Axel and Roxas.

"Thank you so much for sharing this place with me, Axel." Roxas said, smiling at the blonde. "I can finally be myself somewhere and that's the greatest gift I think I've ever received."

Axel tried to play it cool but Roxas just did something to him. The jock was just so genuine and caring and kind, nothing that Axel would ever anticipated from him. Every time they were alone was a present surprise from the blonde, learning more and more about who Roxas really was underneath the facade he played to school to please Noel and their peers. Roxas really was an amazing bloke and Axel was so honored to be able to experience it, now that was the real gift.

"You're welcome, I'm just glad that I had someone to come train with me today. It's hard to find people like us, so when I do find them, I tend to latch on pretty fast. Hope I'm not too annoying about it." Axel rambled, getting a little bit flustered because of Roxas' appreciation.

"Axel, you're anything but annoying. You're like the biggest breath of fresh air that I've ever met, honestly. I don't have to hide anything around you because I just know I can trust you with every facet of who I am, you're the most accepting and the last thing you are is annoying." Roxas protested. "Please, don't ever think I feel that way. I mean, I've only really gotten to know you better over these past few weeks and I already think of you as my best friend. Is that crazy?"

Axel laughed out loud at this, it was as if they had the same mind. "I feel the exact same way. It's not weird at all; it's great to be able to know someone else going through the same things as I am. Having someone to confide in, bitch to, train with; that's exactly what I need and well… here you are being the perfect candidate!"

"Well, perfect then." Roxas repeated back in agreement.

With the comfort of each other's company and a feeling of deepened friendship, they continued on with their training at the construction site, both smiling to themselves.

"I'm so jealous of you sometimes, cause you can just hide away every time you please." Riku joked, breaking the silence finally as they walked along the hard sidewalk.

"Yah, but I use it as a defense mechanism to avoid actually talking to people." Sora admitted, looking down at his feet as they scraped along the concrete.

Sora had felt invisible his entire life so when he developed his power, he became it in true form. He always had a hard time to connecting to his peers and now he had the perfect excuse to get away from social interaction at all.

"But look at you now! You're not avoiding me at all but maybe I'm just one of the select few who get to see the real Sora Montgomery." Riku said, pulling Sora's attention back up to him.

"I guess you're just lucky." Sora quipped back, the smile returning to his face.

Riku couldn't help but smile along with Sora because it was such a genuine and rare gesture; at school, Sora had always been the quiet kid, an unspoken outcast who everyone didn't bother with because they assumed he was happy with how his life was going. But now Riku had an entirely new perspective of the spiky haired wonder that was Sora. He was actually quite honored to have such an opportunity considering how intriguing and layered Sora really was.

"I think mostly I'd love to be able to turn invisible so I could fly during the daytime without anybody looking at me like I was an abomination of nature. I just want the freedom to explore the atmosphere outside of the confinement of the nighttime and the construction site. It would be amazing." Riku shared his dream with Sora, his thoughts drifting to how it would feel to have the sun on his cheeks and being able to actually see the earth below him instead of just thick darkness.

Sora listened to Riku's aspiration, loving that the boy was sharing it with him so openly. Every time he learned a bit more about Riku, he felt closer to his new friend. It didn't matter what new information he actually found out, it made him want to know more and more; it was a rather addicting process.

But then Sora realized he had an answer to Riku's plight. Over the past few years after he had developed his power, he had done endless research on the subject, even if the information was usually unreliable and hard to find. Sora had put in the hours to know exactly how to help his friend but he hesitated to share it with Riku because he had never actually tested it out to see if it worked. He had never had the chance to because Riku was the first person that Sora could share the bond of having a power with.

Riku could tell that Sora was thinking, he had a certain look in his eyes that Riku admired. Sora clearly was an introvert but Riku was willing to be patient for him to open up.

They had made it to Riku's house so Riku stopped and turned toward Sora, who was still lost in his thoughts.

"This is me." Riku prompted, hoping that it would cause Sora to share whatever he was caught up in.

"Okay… um… you'll think I'm crazy but there's this thing that could make you able to fly during the day." Sora blurted out, suddenly shaken out of his mind.

Riku beamed at Sora. "I don't think you're crazy, I promise."

"Okay, just hear me out. It's called 'Drive' – a process in which two individuals with powers can combine their powers for a length of time by establishing a strong telepathic connection.." Sora explained, feeling like a complete idiot for sharing such thoughts.

"Do you think that actually works?" Riku wondered, looking at Sora as if were the messiah.

"Riku!" Riku's mother called from inside the house. "You better get inside right now, you have homework and chores to do!"

Riku rolled his eyes but knew he had to rush inside or face the wrath of both his parents. "I have to go, the mother from hell beckons. We'll take you about this later, okay? I'll text you!"

Sora nodded, completely smitten as Riku rushed inside of the house. Riku turned one last time to say goodbye to Sora before he disappeared into the house.

The spiky haired boy remained still for a moment, realizing that finally someone actually cared enough to even say that he'd text him. Riku was special and Sora was comforted by the fact that he had been so quickly accepted by his new friend.

Sora continued on his way home in complete visibility.


	9. Interlude

It was in the dead of night, the sound of running could be heard through the entire forest. It was quite away from the city and anything that happen in here probably won't be heard from the city that was miles away.

"Hurry Hope we have to move quickly!" A voice said to a boy as running footsteps could be heard.

"I'm coming Lulu." the boy, named Hope replied back.

"We have to hurry or else they'll catch up to us." the girl, named Lulu said as the two continued running.

The two eventually made it out of the thick trees and into the path illuminated by the bright moonlight. Hope was obviously tired from all the running and knelt down to the ground to regain his breathe.

"What are you doing Hope? We're going to get caught!" Lulu yelled in a hush tone.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry but I need to catch my breath real quick. It'll just be a minute." He wheezed back.

Ahead of them more running footsteps could be heard and Lulu quickly reacted and braced herself.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" She yelled out as she held out her right hand and a large sized fireball appeared.

From within the shadows three figures stepped out, a little girl, a girl in revealing clothing with bunny ears and a fairly tall man. Lulu quickly gave a breath of relief and desummoned the fireball.

"Oh, it's only you guys." She said in relief.

"We're glad we found you guys." the little girl replied.

"It's okay Relm, you have me and Balthier." the girl in the bunny ears reassured.

"We have to keep moving forward. If we stay here any longer they'll catch up to us in no time." the man, named Balthier explained.

"I agree." Hope chimed in. "Let's go."

As the five of them began moving forward, the sound of walking footsteps could be heard behind them.

"Shit! They found us." Balthier cursed as he turned around.

Behind them stood a group of roughly 20 men each armed with claw shaped devices of their hands and in front of them stood five figures, a man with pink hair, a blonde haired girl with antennae like strands of hair sticking out of her head, a platinum blonde haired man, a man with blue hair and a gruffly looking man with brown hair.

"That's as far as you go." the blonde hair girl said to the group.

"Leave us alone!" Relm screamed out.

"Careful Relm..." the bunny eared girl said quietly.

"What do you want from all of us?" Balthier questioned the strange people.

"We have specific orders to bring all of you back for...special purposes." the platinum haired blonde hair said.

"Enough talk Vexen!" the blonde haired girl snapped.

"You keep you're mouth shut Larxene before I freeze it shut!" he retorted back.

The group of five took this time to turn around and ran deeper into the forest each splitting into the branching paths.

"Look what you did now you fools, they escaped!" the pink haired man scoleded.

"Sorry Marly." Larxene apologized.

"Our leader will not be pleased if we come back empty handed. All of us will take four of these boys here and we'll go and hunt them down. Do not return until you captured the targets. Do I make myself clear?" the man with with blue hair explained in an almost threatening tone.

"Yes!" The four others said together in unison. As the five of them each split up with four of the men and chased after the give fleeing fugitives.

* * *

Hope was running as fast as he could. He knew splitting up was a bad idea as they all could just pick them off one by one but they all agreed that if one of them could escape that person would seek help. He ran through large bushes and trees and eventually made it to a clearing near a riverbed that was illuminated by the moonlight.

He hunched back and started to catch his breath again and hoping that he had eluded his captures. However he was wrong.

"Hello there little boy." Larxene teased from behind him.

"W-what?!" Hope yelled out in fright as he jumped backwards.

"Come with me, I won't hurt you." Larxene said out smoothly.

"That's a lie!"

Larxene's tolerance at this point was reaching an all time low. "Listen here you little brat if you don't come with me I'll be forced to use some SERIOUS measures on you and you will not like that at all!" She roared.

Hope made his hands into fists and made a punching motion in front of him. From the tips of his fist a large gust of wind appeared and went straight for Larxene who quickly dodged it in a blink of an eye, making the gust of wind hit the men behind her, sending them into trees.

"Ah an Aerokinetic, our leader would be most please when he gets his hands on you." Larxene purred out.

Larxene held out her hands in a crossing formation and eight strange shaped knives appeared in her hands, four in each.

"Let's have some fun." She said with a devilish smirk on her face.

She quickly threw one of her knives at Hope who quickly raised his hands in front of him and a veil of wind repelled the knife back. Larxene quickly rushed forward at him with an intent of murder in her eyes. Hope continued to make punching motions in the air and launching more blasts of wind at Larxene but the girl moved out of the way like it was nothing. When she reached Hope she jumped and did a frontal kick right to his chest, sending back a few.

He gave out a moan of pain and staggered back. Hope raised his hand in front of him and made a vertical cutting motion in the air and a crescent shaped blade of wind came flying out. Larxene narrowly avoided the blade of wind, which missed and went straight into a tree and slicing it right in half.

She again rushed forward at the now running Hope. He tried to run as fast as he could but the blonde haired girl some how was just faster. When she tried to kick again this time from behind a large gust of wind knocked her back and sending her into the ground.

"Why you...!" She yelled out. She quickly jumped up on her feet and took her knives and aimed at his back, then quickly launched them off. But to no avail, they all were repelled back by a barrier of wind that formed behind the boys back.

He was standing in the river bed when he turned around to see Larxene only a few feet away from him. She had a evil smirk on her face.

"What are you smiling about?" He questioned.

"Look where you're standing." She replied back with a suggestive tone.

Hope glanced down at the ground confused. He didn't understand the significance of him standing in the river bed had to do with anything.

"The thing about water is..." She started, "It conducts _electricity_!" She yelled as she threw one of her knives into the water. The knife hit the water and released a loud hissing sound and bolts of electricity swarmed the water. Hope standing directly in the water suffered full blast from the strong shock and instantly fell over into the water. Larxene approached the unconscious boy and grabbed him by the collar and whispered. "There goes one."

* * *

Baltier and the bunny eared girl ran hand and hand quickly through the forest, trying to seek an escape. As they were running from behind them came a large boulder, which Balthier was quickly fast enough to grab the girl and quickly run out of the way.

"That's as far as you go." A thick gruff voice said.

Balthier and the bunny eared girl ignored the growling threat and continue running, only to be stopped by a large wall of rock to appear in front of them.

"W-whats this?" the girl asked.

"We're trapped that's what." Balthier replied grimly.

The pair turned around and there stood the two men they saw before and accompanied by a group of about eight men behind them.

"Looks like we have to fight our way through this now Fran." Balthier said gently to the girl, who only shook her head in agreement.

"Get them!" The taller brown haired man ordered and the group of men behind them came rushing forward, armed and ready to strike.

Balthier held out his palm in front of them and a bright ray of light came flashing out of his hand and right onto his assailants. They all gave out a cry of pain and then suddenly they instantly vaporized into dust.

Fran made a blowing like motion with her mouth and out came a cold gust of wind that trapped the remaining men in ice. With a snap of her fingers the ice shattered, instantly killing them all.

"We certainly have quite a powerful pair here Saix." The brown haired man gestured.

"Indeed we do Lexaeus, I'm sure our leader would love to have them." The man named Saix replied.

Lexaeus wasted no time and created a large boulder and sending flying at the pair. Balthier again used his palm and created a beam of bright light that disintegrated the large rock. When the rock was destroyed, Saix came flying from the ruins of the rock with his hands now a pair of sharp swords. He dived down straight at Balthier and would have struck him if not for Fran who quickly created a wall of ice that took the impact for him.

"Clever girl you are protecting him with a wall of ice. Next time you won't be so lucky." He threatened.

Lexaeus this time stomped on the ground and large spikes of rocks came levitating up. He made a hand gesture that sent the large spiked rocks flying at the two. This time Fran held out her hand and a large blast of ice came flying out. The ice overpowered the rocks and instantly destroyed them. She twirled one of her fingers around in a circle and a ring of blue light appeared around it, she aimed her finger at the ground where the two were standing and a bright blue ring of light appeared below their feet.

"Child's play." Saix commented as his feet began to get colder and colder. Ice started creeping from the blue circle and up their legs, slowly encasing them.

The two began making their escape and ran the opposite way. They didn't make it far as a loud rumbling sound could be heard from either side of them and then darkness...

Lexaeus clapped his hands together and from either side of the two fleeing mutants a dome of steel began coming out of the ground and eventually joining together and trapping the pair in a steel prison.

From the inside there were sounds of ice shattering and fizzing sounds, it was assumed that was the noise of Balthier and Fran trying to escape.

"There's no use." He told the two.

Saix gave Lexaeus a reassuring nod as he transformed his hand into a large hammer. He lunged forward at the large steel dome and then slammed his hammer hand into it. A loud sound came erupting through the forest. The dome continued rattling and gave off powerful vibrations. From the inside the sound of Fran and Balthier could be hear groaning in discomfort. After a while the groaning died down and a "thud" sound could be heard.

"Two more." Saix said to Lexaeus who snapped his fingers and the dome dispersed, revealing the unconscious duo.

* * *

Relm soared through the forest floor as if it were the skies itself. She was riding an ink drawing of a large bird. You see Relm has the ability to bring what she draws into life. The bird was gliding gracefully on the forest ground, carefully avoiding the thick trees.

As it was flying a large vine came flying out of nowhere and grabbed the bird by its leg and tugging it down to the ground. Relm came crashing down and landed in a puddle of ink. When she looked up she saw in front of her a man with long pink hair.

"Come with now little girl. I promise I won't hurt you." He cooed.

"Y-you're l-lying!" She stuttered out.

"You're a feisty little now aren't you. No matter I'll end this quickly." He said menacingly as he raised his hand, a multitude of vines erupted from the ground.

Relm took out her sketch book and quickly sketched a picture of a large tiger which soon enough came to life and lunged forward towards the pink haired man. The tiger was running fast and jumping left and right to carefully avoid the vines that were being sent towards it. As it made its finally leap towards the man, another sharp vine came out of nowhere and impaled the tiger and destroying it. Relm made a horrified expression.

She made a sketch of a rampaging rhino that rushed forward, attempting to maul Marluxia over, but this proved to be useless as he released a large thorn that pierced the rhino and reverting it back to ink. She tried to send a large elephant to stomp him down but it was also stopped by a vine that wrapped around its leg that tripped it and destroying it.

Relm was tired at this point. Using this much of her power in one day with such large creatures put such a strained on her stamina.

"Aww tired already? I thought you were a big girl." He teased.

"I am! And i'll show you!" She yelled back as she took her sketch book and drew a large snake. The snake came to life and flew at Marluxia. The snake carefully avoid all the vines and thorns that he tried throwing at it and made its way to the man's body. It quickly wrapped itself around him and started squeezing. He let a variety of curses and angry yells while trying to struggle out.

"Take that!" She cheered as the snake continued squeezing.

"ENOUGH!" He yelled out as large green thorns erupted from his body and piercing the snake. It collapsed and in its place was a large puddle of black ink.

"No...no!" Relm said with a defeated expression on her face.

Marluxia stretched his hand out and a vine appeared out of it. It flew straight at Relm and wrapped around her body. It started squeezing her tighter and tighter by the second. She let out loud screams of pain as it continued squeezing. When she finally reached her limit she slowly saw the forest get darker and darker and finally nothing at all.

Marluxia and his men turned around and the vine carrying Relm followed with.

* * *

"Hit me with your best shot." Vexen taunted.

"Don't toy with me!" Lulu roared as she summoned several blazing orbs of flames.

"Interesting. You can make fireballs, is that all you can do?" He taunted the girl once again.

She pointed her finger at Vexen and the orbs of fire came flying at him. He aimed his hand at the ground and propelled himself out of the way by using ice to push himself up. The men behind were not as lucky as the fireballs were heading their way.

They hand no defense against it and the fireballs entered their body. They gave out screams and steam could be seem emitting from their bodies. When the steamed cleared it revealed four mummified corpses that looked dry as if they had been preserved for centuries.

"That's an interesting power you got there. It seems you possess a high form of pyrokinesis and are able to conjure up orbs of fire. But these orbs aren't ordinary as they appear to boil all the liquids inside the body, rendering them to dry burnt corpses. Am I correct?" He deduced.

She didn't answer. Instead she summoned more large orbs of fire and sent them at the blonde haired man. He raised his hand up and a wall of ice appeared in front of him. The ice wall proved no use as the scorching balls of fire melted right through it. He retreated back again and this time created sharp disks made of ice and threw them Lulu's way. She used one of her fireballs to send it straight at the disk to melt them all.

"Enough is enough!" She yelled out in annoyance. Surrounding her were six large balls of fire, she waved her hand and the six joined together and formed into a much larger one. She snapped her fingers and the ball of fire exploded. Vexen having little time to react created a large dome of ice and encased himself in it.

The fireball created a large explosion, the blast was at least of a five mile radius and it burnt everything in its path down. The once green scenery were reduced to a few crumbling ashy sticks. The wall that Vexen created was stronger than the last but that wasn't saying much as all that was left of it was steam. When the steamed cleared out it revealed a steaming Vexen. He raised his hand in an attempt to strike back but crumbled down to the ground.

"Fire melts ice." she retorted as she turned around.

As she did she was taken back at what she saw. There stood the four people that were chasing them before as well as the man she just finish defeating.

"W-what? How is this possible? I just...I saw you collapse." she questioned panically.

"Ah yes" he started "you see I like to observe my opponents before diving straight into fights. What you just defeated was a mere ice clone of mines. Simple really."

Lulu raised her hands again and created more blazing fireballs. She sent them all at the group, in effort of defeating them.

The brown haired man simply stomped on the ground and a large wall of rock grew from the ground. The fireballs went straight into the rock wall and disintegrated.

When the wall crumbled down the group of five had vanished. Lulu took a step back in astonishment but was stopped when she bumped into something behind her. She quickly turned around and behind her stood the blonde hair man.

"Boo!" He cried out as he reached his hand out grabbed Lulu's wrist.

She felt an instant pain in her wrist and it started getting cold. Yet at the same time it was hot too. Within seconds she lost all movement in her right wrist.

"W-what did you do to me?!" She yelled out.

"I frozed it." He replied nonchalantly. "Just like what I am about to do to you."

With that remark he snapped his fingers and Lulu suddenly collapsed over. From behind the blonde haired man the other four stepped out.

"Nice going Vexen, you killed her. What's good will a dead body do?" Larxene snarked.

"Be quite Larxene. An imbecile such as you will not understand. It just so happens that I did not kill her. I put her in a state of frozen paralysis. She's alive and I can turn her back anytime I want to." He replied.

"Whatever." She scoffed as she gave him the finger.

"If you two lovebirds are done squabbling we all need to head back." Saix commanded.

He raised his hand and a portal of dark energy emerged. The five of them hauled the five unconscious mutants and went into the portal.

"Oh and another thing. Marluxia be a dear and restore the place back to it's original place. We wouldn't want anyone to be suspicious." Saix said as he stepped through the portal, followed by Larxene, then Vexen and then Lexaeus.

Marluxia was the last to enter and when he did he snapped his fingers and proceeded inside.

The burnt area gave off a bright green glow. The ground started turning a brown color and soon grass started sprouting out again. The once burnt trees vanished and in there places brand new trees emerged.

_Yeah so not a real part, just an interlude really._


End file.
